Amnesiac [CD]

Though the songs on Amnesiac were recorded at the same time as those on its predecessor, Kid A, the gap between the releases of the pair suggests a determination on Radiohead's part that the two should not be perceived as halves of the same whole. However, there is little in the way of meaningful stylistic divergence between the two albums--Amnesiac shares with Kid A an atmosphere of defeated, vengeful paranoia, a heavy reliance on electronic noises and distorted vocals, a somewhat frustrating absence of Jonny Greenwood's guitar and the song "Morning Bell", which reappears on Amnesiac in a slightly less mournful arrangement. It may just be that Radiohead felt that it might have been a bit much to ask anyone, even Radiohead fans, to consume this entire lugubrious trove at once. Amnesiac, like Kid A is heavy going. And, also like Kid A, Amnesiac rewards repeated listenings generously. The more acute Thom Yorke's lyrical biliousness grows, the harder the band work to redeem matters with some moments of astonishing beauty. "You and Whose Army?" contains gorgeous knelling piano evocative of "Karma Police", "Like Spinning Plates" deploys a backwards backing track to bewitching effect, and the closing track, "Life in a Glasshouse", is an exuberant Laughing Clowns-style wig-out, featuring veteran jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttleton. Once again, it is not so much that Radiohead have not put a foot wrong, but that they're walking where nobody else has trodden. Amnesiac is another giant leap. --Andrew Mueller

Though the songs on Amnesia were recorded at the same time as those on its predecessor, Kid A, the gap between the releases of the pair suggests a determination on Radiohead's part that the two should not be perceived as halves of the same whole. However, there is little in the way of meaningful stylistic divergence between the two albums--Amnesiac shares with Kid A an atmosphere of defeated, vengeful paranoia, a heavy reliance on electronic noises and distorted vocals, a somewhat frustrating absence of Jonny Greenwood's guitar and the song "Morning Bell", which reappears on Amnesiac in a slightly less mournful arrangement. It may just be that Radiohead felt that it might have been a bit much to ask anyone, even Radiohead fans, to consume this entire lugubrious trove at once. Amnesiac, like Kid A is heavy going. And, also like Kid A, Amnesiac rewards repeated listenings generously. The more acute Thom Yorke's lyrical biliousness grows, the harder the band work to redeem matters with some moments of astonishing beauty. "You and Whose Army?" contains gorgeous knelling piano evocative of "Karma Police", "Like Spinning Plates" deploys a backwards backing track to bewitching effect, and the closing track, "Life in a Glasshouse", is an exuberant Laughing Clowns-style wig-out, featuring veteran jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttleton. Once again, it is not so much that Radiohead have not put a foot wrong, but that they're walking where nobody else has trodden. Amnesiac is another giant leap. --Andrew Mueller

Amnesiac was recorded at the same sessions as the expectation-defying (read: not many tunes) Kid A. This fifth album from the Oxford boys came out nine months later and, at the time of its release, Thom Yorke spouted a lot of nonsense about gnosticism and the fact that it was, like, an explanation of Kid A's voguish electronica-as-misanthropy. The fact was: this was the offcuts and the stuff that didn't quite fit. Lucky for us that it was still bloody marvellous.

Amnesiac is a simpler album than Kid A. Understandably, being less worried over, the pieces are easier to digest. The self-loathing and general railing about modern existence is still there, but at times the band relax enough to let in some exquisite tunes. Pyramid Song's jazzy slouch backed by strings-to-swoon-by is the album's rightful centrepiece, but the delights are many. There's edgy urban paranoia. ("I'm a reasonable man, get off my case" mutters Yorke on Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box), political pugnaciousness (You And Whose Army?) and sheer post rock misery (Knives Out).

There's a good case to argue that Amnesiac and Kid A - born out of the same writer's block and new methodology - should never have been separated. Much as Beatles fans will tell you that the White Album has the kernel of one classic at its heart, so do these twins. Of course there's a whole other school that revel in the less comfortable chunks of this sonic feast. To them this melange of dissonance, clicks and backwards voices only adds to the mystique, the dislocation and the overall sense that somehow Radiohead UNDERSTAND what's going on more than us poor sheep.

The truth, one suspects, lies somewhere in between. Yorke's anger and confusion has weathered well. These slices of prog electronica created dismay amongst the critics at the time. Now, in the light of civilisation's continual decline, they seem like the reasonable musings of someone perfectly sane. "Cut the kids in half", indeed... --Chris Jones

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Amazing 2001 album features "Pyramid Song" and "Knives Out".